Kansas Angler Home

Fishing Reports
Kansas Fishing Reports
Missouri Reports
Oklahoma Fishing Reports
Texas Fishing Reports

Reader's Nook
Latest Angler News
Current Angler Articles
Kansas Angler Archives

Angler's Academy
Fishing and Tackle Tips
Tackle Manufacturer Tips
Lure Making Tips

Club Corner
Kansas Fishing Clubs
Tournament Schedules
Kansas Tournament Results

Tournament Trail
Tournament Organizations
Kansas Fishing Clubs
Tournament Schedules
Circuit Tournament Results

Fishing Guides

Success Stories
Fishing Photo Gallery
Bragging Corner
Anglers Sharing Stories

Kansas Angler Info
About the Angler
Advertising Information
Contact the Angler

Angler Links
Tackle Manufacturer Links
State Departments of Wildlife Links
Other Links of Interest

Kansas Fishing Records

Copyright 1999-2001

See Zeiner's new online catalog. New items are being added regularly.

Click here for Zeiners new secure online catalog

Kansan Jerry Pape Wins Wal-Mart
Bass Fishing League Plains Division Opener
Laurie, Mo., (Feb. 19, 2001) - Jerry Pape of Lake Quivira, Kan., out-paced
79 competitors Saturday with five bass weighing 16 pounds, 4 ounces to win
$3,277 and 200 points on the boater side of the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League
(BFL) Plains Division opener on Lake of the Ozarks.

Pape edged out Roger Fitzpatrick of Eldon, Mo., and Lonnie McKinney of Lake
Ozark, Mo., by 2 pounds, 15 ounces in the one-day event that set out from
Millstone Lodge. Fitzpatrick and McKinney tied for second with five-bass
limits weighing 13 pounds, 5 ounces worth $1,228. Pape caught his limit
fishing a tube bait around bluff banks in 15 to 20 feet of water.

Bruce Gier of Eldon, Mo., placed fourth and earned $710 with five bass
weighing 13 pounds, 2 ounces. He also won an additional $500 for his
participation in the Ranger cup incentive program. Mike Foree of Beaufort,
Mo., placed fifth and earned $655 with four bass weighing 12 pounds, 8
ounces. Foree also won the boater Big Bass Award and collected $395 with a
6-pound, 12-ounce bass that he caught on a lucky craft jerkbait.

First place in the Co-Angler Division and $1,638 went to Mark Borchers of
Akron, Iowa, who topped 79 competitors with four bass weighing 8 pounds, 10
ounces. Second place in the division and $819 went to Barry Goen of
Hartsburg, Mo., with four bass weighing 8 pounds, 5 ounces, while Mark
Madison of Raymond, Neb., took third place and $410 with three bass weighing
7 pounds, 10 ounces.

Dave Knutstrom of Stronghurst, Ill., won the co-angler Big Bass Award of
$197 with a 3-pound, 13-ounce bass that he caught on a Zoom tubebait while
fishing rocky banks in 15 feet of water.

Overall, 130 bass weighing 300 pounds, 7 ounces were caught during the
tournament, including six five bass limits.

On March 17, the BFL will visit Smithville Lake for the second of five
events in the Plains Division. The boater with the most points after the
division's season finale, a two-day Super Tournament Sept. 8-9 on Truman
Lake, will be declared the Divisional Points Champion and awarded $1,000.
The co-angler amassing the most points by the end of the season will receive
$500.

The top 30 boaters and top 30 co-anglers in the Plains Division will advance
to regional competition Oct. 16-20 on the Ohio River near Paducah, Ky.,
where they will go up against top competitors from the LBL, Hoosier, and
Great Lakes divisions for a shot at qualifying for the $250,000
All-American.

Awards for the 2001 BFL season could reach $5.7 million based on full fields
at each tournament.

New Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League to Open Plains Division on Lake of the Ozarks
GILBERTSVILLE, Ky. (Feb. 12, 2001) - Operation Bass, the nation's premier
bass tournament organization, will hold the first Wal-Mart Bass Fishing
League (BFL) tournament in the Plains Division Feb. 17 on Lake of the Ozarks
in Laurie, Mo. The event is the first of five Plains Division tournaments
included in the new 119-event national series for weekend anglers.

Last spring Wal-Mart announced its title sponsorship of the popular
Operation Bass Red Man Tournament Trail series that is widely credited with
opening competitive bass fishing to the masses. The announcement marked the
end of an era for Red Man, which became the tour's original title sponsor in
1983 and helped Operation Bass pioneer affordable, close-to-home, weekend
tournaments.

Operation Bass chairman Irwin L. Jacobs believes that Wal-Mart's sponsorship
of the BFL will open new marketing avenues for the retailer and the series.
"Wal-Mart is committed to elevating sport fishing in America," he said.
"This sponsorship is a natural extension for them, as it will have a
significant impact on their customers in grass roots markets. Wal-Mart
customers and fishing enthusiasts are one and the same."

Wal-Mart sponsorship of the BFL signals the company's strong commitment to
one of the nation's most popular pastimes and bodes well for the future of
the sport. In recent years, professional bass fishing has moved from the
backwaters of southern impoundments to the mainstream largely due the
big-money Wal-Mart FLW Tour and EverStart Series, both of which are
Operation Bass programs.

"We are always looking for innovative ways to reach our customers," said
Mike McFadden, vice president, divisional merchandise manager for Wal-Mart.
"Our support of the BFL is a new way to communicate with Wal-Mart customers
who enjoy the outdoors and love to fish."

The BFL features a boater and co-angler format to accommodate anglers of
various skill levels. It also uses a 200-point scoring system that ensures
equitable treatment of all competitors. Under the system, an angler receives
200 points for a win, 199 points for second, 198 points for third and so on.
Every angler who receives weight credit during a tournament receives points.
The Feb. 17 weigh-in for Lake of the Ozarks will begin at approximately 2
p.m. at Millstone Lodge in Laurie. The winning boater will collect up to
$6,000, and the winning co-angler will receive up to $3,000 based on a full
field of 200 boaters and 200 co-anglers.

The Wal-Mart BFL will hold its second Plains Division tournament March 17 on
Smithville Lake at Camp Branch Marina. Milford Lake will host the third
tournament April 28, and Grand Lake will host the fourth tournament June 16.
Truman Lake will be home to the division's Super Tournament Sept. 8-9.

Nationwide, the BFL is divided into 22 divisions - each featuring four
one-day qualifying tournaments and a two-day Super Tournament. Entry fees in
each qualifying event are $150 for boaters and $75 for co-anglers. Entry
fees for Super Tournaments are doubled, as are payouts. Each Super
Tournament will award up to $12,000 to the winning boater and up to $6,000
to the winning co-angler.

After the qualifying events and the Super Tournaments are complete, the top
30 boaters and top 30 co-anglers from each division advance to one of six
three-day regional tournaments. At the regionals, boaters compete for a new
Chevy Truck and a Ranger boat. Co-anglers fish for a Ranger boat. Anglers
who have fished all five tournaments within a division but do not qualify
for a regional can compete in the Chevy Trucks Wild Card Regional for a shot
at qualifying for the $250,000 BFL All-American - one of the most lucrative
post-season tournaments in competitive angling.

The top eight boaters and top eight co-anglers from each regional (four from
the Western Regional) will advance to the All-American along with the top
six boaters and top six co-anglers from the Chevy Wild Card. The
All-American champion receives priority entry in the 2002 Wal-Mart FLW Tour.
The top 30 anglers from each BFL division may advance to the 2002 EverStart
Series - the pathway to the FLW Tour.

The support given to bass fishing by the world's leading retailer is
unprecedented. Wal-Mart's initial sponsorship of the FLW Tour in 1997 was
the first sponsorship in the company's history. Wal-Mart then expanded its
involvement in the sport in 1998 as title sponsor of the EverStart Series.
EverStart is Wal-Mart's private label automotive and marine battery. It is
also the No. 1 selling retail automotive and marine battery in the world.
Awards for the 2001 BFL season could reach $5.7 million based on full fields
at each tournament.

Sponsors of the 2001 Wal-Mart BFL are ALPO Pet Foods, BC Powder, BFGoodrich Tires, Black & Decker, Chevy Trucks, CITGO, Coleman, Energizer, EverStart Batteries, Frito-Lay, FujiFilm, Garmin, Kellogg's, Land O'Lakes, Mercury Marine, Minn Kota, Pepsi, Poulan, Pure Fishing, Ranger Boats, Snickers Cruncher Bar, Stren, Shop-Vac, Timex, US Bank, Visa, Weed Eater, Wrangler and Yamaha Outboards. ACDelco is an associate sponsor of the Wal-Mart BFL.